While Survivor 50 gave us the cast reveal before we even knew who’d be competing on Survivor 49, it feels like we’ve been waiting forever to find out more about the upcoming castaways who will be competing for $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor.
Of course we’ve seen some sneak peeks at a few of the cast members thanks to the official teaser trailer for Survivor 51, but today, Wednesday, August 26, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT we’re finally going to learn who will be taking the beaches of Fiji for the first time in the new “open era” of Survivor.
Where to watch the cast announcement
The announcement will go live on Survivor’s official YouTube channel via the stream below on Wednesday, August 26, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.
And of course some of our favorite Survivor alumni commentators will be reacting to the cast announcement after it airs, like Rob Cesternino over on Rob Has a Podcast, and Tyson Apostol with The Pod Has Spoken.
And you won’t want to miss this because fans are also being treated to a first-look behind-the-scenes tour of the Survivor 51 Tribal Council set by none other than our fearless leader, long-time host and showrunner, Jeff Probst.
And after you watch the cast announcement, come on back to Surviving Tribal where we’ll be doing a full analytical deep dive into the new players to see how they compare and who to watch out for.
Meet the cast of Survivor 51
Our newest castaways are here! Adding 21 new players to the coveted list of people brave enough to take on our favorite reality competition show of all time, we think this group is going to be one for the Survivor history books!
- Aaliyah - 24 - New Jersey / Rhode Island - Chef
- Alexis - 34 - Atlanta - Criminal Defense Attorney
- Ana - 34 - Toronto, Ontario - Voice Actor
- Brady - 27 - La Salle, IL - Pro Wrestler
- Carter - 24 - Rock Rapids, IA - Livestock Farmer
- Cristian - 26 - Salt Lake City - Head of Human Resources
- Kilby - 30 - Mount Forest, Ontario - Game Designer
- Devin - 33 - Lufkin, TX - Actor
- Eric - 34 - Lincoln, RI - Mental Health Counselor
- Jelly - 29 - Texas / Indiana - Sociology Professor
- Jenna - 30 - Toledo, OH - Wedding Photographer
- Kristin - 49 - Santa Barbara, CA - Crisis Management
- Lewis - 28 - Ireland / Puerto Rico - Farmer
- Linnea - 25 - New Jersey - Business Owner / Entrepreneur
- Maggie - 40 - West Virginia - Farmer
- Mike - 32 - NYC - Baseball Executive
- Ori - 27 - Spring Valley, NY - Personal Trainer
- Patt - 33 - Washington D.C. - Federal Prosecutor
- Rob - 40 - Cumberland, RI - Airline Gate Agent
- Sharonda - Florida / Kentucky - 34 - Resident Physician, OBGYN
- Thien An - 24 - Fort Worth, TX - Medical Student
We’re definitely getting a diverse cast with so many different approaches to the game. But we can also very easily see some fan favorite past players coming out of the personalities of our latest players’ introductions. And with the idea of bringing in the best of past seasons with the open era, it’ll be interesting to see if they play like those fan favorites as well.
What is the “open era” of Survivor?
As the series continues to evolve, we know that the show is taking a step back from the formulaic structure that defined seasons 41 through 49 in order to make the game more unpredictable for both the players on the beach as well as the fans watching at home.
After five years of relying on specific gameplay restraints, the open era represents a return to fluid, uncertain game design. Like, rather than locking every season into the identical 18-player, 3-tribe formatting, production says we can anticipate things switching up from season to season. Every advantage, twist, and theme in the Survivor rulebook will be on the table as well…or not.
We might see more twists and advantages than ever before or we might see no added benefits to gameplay other than social and physical strategy. This evolved era of the game will force castaways to be more innovative and plan beyond what they think they know is coming next.
Check out the open era in action when Survivor 51 premieres Wednesday, September 23 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+!
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